Piano Scales

Learn about piano music scales

I've included this piano scales lesson in video format on my free piano online lessons page - you might like to check this out too.

What are scales anyway? Why are they so important? Do you need to know how to play them?

A scale is simply a sequence of notes that follow a specific pattern - usually eight notes going up and then back down again.

The most common types are the major and minor scales, and they each have their own specific pattern.

Scales are important for a few reasons....

If you are seriously committed to playing the piano long term and want to take a practical exam through your local musical examinations board (eg Royal College of Music in the UK or AMEB in Australia), you will need to learn how to play scales as they form part of the exams.

They are also good for developing your technique - strengthening your fingers so you can play with greater control. They are excellent as 'warm ups' at the beginning of a practice session.

Most importantly, though, scales form the backbone of music; they are an essential part of how music is written. Scales form the basis of chords; if you understand them, it will be much easier for you to identify and play chords; in fact, every song that you know is based on a particular scale; the songwriter might not even consciously be aware of it!

So you can think of scales like the building blocks, or the 'structure' that any song or music needs to come together and 'make sense'.